Saturday morning the entire group assembled for the first time in the hotel lobby where we met Sophie, one of our guides. After some sorting and tagging, we got on a bus to our first stop Cluny. We had a guided tour, then had some time for lunch and to walk around on our own. I ended up having lunch with Bob, the other single on the tour as we independently happened to wander into the same restaurant. After lunch I explored the local gothic church, and then back to the bus. On the way to Tournus we stopped at the small town of Chapaize and looked in at the local Romanesque church there as well. On to Tournus and the Hotel Le Rempart where we met our head guide Jean François (aka Jeff) and got our room assignments. After settling in there was a brief orientation meeting and our first ride, a short warm-up down the Saône and back, where we encountered our first swarms of tiny flies. (This day and the next. After that we were further inland and the fly irritation disappeared.) That night was a meet & greet where we each were given a glass of kir, the Dijonais specialty, followed by a welcome dinner at the hotel, and on to bed.
The next day we started up the Saône, then headed inland and wound our way to l’Epervière where the sag wagon provided some refreshments. From there it was on to Sennecey-le-Grand and the SAS museum, lunch at a local restaurant, and cycling back to Tournus. (I opted out of the long option.) A short, steep hill entering Venière, made worse by having to stop at the bottom to let a truck pass, but I did make it to the top. Uneventful but lovely cycling after that, then time to refresh at the hotel and some sightseeing around Tournus at the Romanesque Abbaye St. Philbert, the Hotel Dieu (an old hospital,) and the Musée Greuze, containing the works of the eponymous painter and others. (A so-so collection.) That night most of us went to a local bistro specializing in coq au vin, where Florence helped (mostly) with the translations and other things. Back to the hotel for sleep and an early start the next day.
A bus shuttled us to Chalon sur Saône where we picked up our bikes and spent the morning riding the scenic Canal du Centre. There were several locks along the way—always rising!—until we reached Chagny where, mirabile dictu, the canal crossed above a railroad line! Pushing on, we crossed the canal and continued a while, then turned toward Santanay. Most of us bought a lunch at a boulangerie; then we left Santanay and headed out on the Route des Grands Crus through vinyards all the way to Beaune. First stop was a picnic grove just outside Santanay where we had our lunches. Followed Don & Beth for a while, but they missed a turn and eventually I backtracked to pick up the right route. Then on to Chassagne Montrachet and Puligny Montrachet, where several stopped for a wine tasting. I was starting to get oversaturated with wine, so I pushed on instead. There was a sneaky climb leaving Puligny then another climb entering Meursault, and a final climb to Volnay. From there it was thankfully pretty much all downhill or level through Pommard and into Beaune where we followed a bike/pedestrian path along the circumferential road to the Hotel Le Cep. A group dinner at a local restaurant that night, followed by a walk through Beaune to the hotel.
In the morning Sophie led us out of Beaune—not a straightforward exit—and we cycled through farmlands to Cussigny where we were hosted by the LeFils family in an old mill they had purchased. We had a wonderful picnic lunch and some desserts (a la LeFil.) After a bit of postprandial relaxation we headed back. Some of the hard core people took the long route with Jean François, but I had had enough hills the day before and opted for the medium route, passing through some more farmland and small towns. I hooked up eventually with Toni and Bill and, putting our heads together, we found our way back to Beaune without getting lost. After freshening up at the hotel, I went exploring, admiring the Notre Dame Basilique, picking up a couple bottles of wine for myself and my next visit to the Cones, wandering the downtown, and generally playing tourist. Later Jean François and Sophie took us to Bouchard Aînés & Fils for a wine tour and tasting. (At the end I remember someone in our group bought a bottle of Grand Cru for several hundred €s.) For dinner I met Bob for a rather rich bouef Bourguignon at Relais de Saulx, a restaurant the guides had suggested. Then to bed after a busy day.
The following day I woke up with a fever, and was not feeling well enough to ride, so I did miss riding another part of the Route des Grands Crus, but I did manage to do the tour of the Hôtel Dieu, containing the Hospices de Beaune, established during the Hundred Years’ War at the height of Burgundy’s power. Jean François was tied up for a while coordinating last minute travel arrangements for a few people who were affected by the Air France strike, and when he was done we got in the van to Nuit St. Georges where he and Sophie changed places, and continued on to the Grand Hotel la Cloche in Dijon, where I went to my room to sleep it off. (The road into Dijon was rather depressing, resembling any number of commercial strips around any American city. Another reason to regret not being able to bike on this day.) Unfortunately I missed the late afternoon tour of Dijon, but it couldn’t be helped. The following morning I was feeling somewhat better and went on the final easy ride past Lake Kir along the Canal de Bougogne to Pont de Pany. Still feeling a little weak, and rather than ride back to Dijon over the same route I took the van back, which also gave me some time to explore Dijon that afternoon, including a short tram ride to the Place de la Republique and back. (Why can’t the USA have such extensive and up-to-date mass transit as every city in Europe seems to have?) Walked to Cathédrale St. Benigne, then down the Rue de la Liberte, a pedestrian shopping street, to the Place de la Liberation where I saw the magnificent Ducal Palace and picked up some Dijon mustard for myself and as homecoming gifts. Continued on to Eglise St. Michel, then worked my way back toward the hotel. The Notre Dame Cathedral was having a service that precluded extended investigation. Walked through the Jardin Darcy across from the hotel. In the evening Jean François and Sophie took us to a local restaurant for our farewell dinner, preceded by a food preparation demo by the chef in the kitchen. (I thought the dinner this time was overrated.) After strolling home through Dijon at night it was time for bed.